Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso will go in this semi-final clash as clear underdogs after they scored an extra-time winner over Togo in the quarters. Burkina Faso has been able to eke out two draws and two victories so far and will hope to continue their dream run in this year’s AFCON.

After seeing off last year’s winners Zambia in the group stages with an expert defensive display, they toiled long and hard against Togo. Jonathan Pitroipa, who was the chief architect of everything offensive about Burkina Faso headed home the winner in the 105th minute. It was a physical encounter to say the least and the referee was not hesitant to dish out cards. As many as 8 were shown during the match as both teams struggled to make any headways in the opposition defence. The finishing from both the teams left a lot to be desired as they fumbled chance after chance in the final third. The game opened up after the break as two teams now preferred end-to-end play rather than physical bout. Burkina Faso deservingly won the tie and now they enter uncharted waters where the mighty Ghana lies in wait for them.

Alain Traoré has been ruled out for the entire tournament following his untimely injury and Burkina Faso will be looking to Jonathan Pitroipa to show them the way. The Stade Rennais player prefers to play either as a striker or a right-winger and has been key to Burkina Faso’s progress in the tournament. Their main game plan involves flooding the midfield in order to block out the opposition and then hit on the counter attack.

Burkina Faso might hold a slight advantage over Ghana in the upcoming match as they have played as many as four matches at the Mbombela. The pitch has been criticized by one and all with Togo striker Adebayor calling it a “disgrace”. However, that might not be enough to stop Ghana, who prefers a sleek, passing game.

Ghana

Ghana has slowly and steadily grown in strength as the tournament has progressed. After their initial draw against Congo DR, they’ve clawed their way back in this year’s AFCON and staked their claim of going all the way. One of the pre-tournament favorites, Ghana has made their presence felt with three successive victories.

In their previous match, they faced off against Cape Verde for a place in the semi-finals of AFCON 2013.

Cape Verde has been the surprise package of the tournament and to get so far has been a dream run for the tiny nation. However, Ghana was in no mood to oblige and dished out a performance which sent a warning to the rest of the teams. The partnership of Porto’s Christian Atsu and Asamoah Gyan has been instrumental for Ghana this year and they will be looking to the pair to put them ahead in the semi-finals where they face off against Burkina Faso. Ghana will be hoping to break the jinx this time around after failing to cross the semi-final mark in the last three editions of AFCON.

Two emerging players for Ghana has been Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Anthony Annan and James Kwesi Appiah will be looking to mold these two players into quality performers once the tournament is done and dusted. Ghana has performed remarkably well in the absence of John Mensah and Michael Essien with Juventus’ Kwando Asamoah being a force to reckon in midfield.

The Black Stars will be looking to progress to this year’s finals and hold aloft the coveted trophy which they last won in 1982. Wakaso will be looking to continue from where he left off against Cape Verde, where he scored the only goals in the match – one from the penalty spot and the other deep in injury time.

Prediction

Burkina Faso 0-2 Ghana

In what will be an interesting encounter for both the teams, Ghana might just be too strong for Burkina Faso at this stage of the tournament. Ghana has to break the jinx that has been placed on them and finally qualify for the finals of the AFCON 2013. Burkina Faso, on the other hand has nothing to lose, given that no one expected them to come so far in this tournament. It will be a cagey affair to say the least but one where Ghana will come out on top. Burkina Faso will have a considerably less rest than Ghana and fatigue factor is likely to even out any advantage they have with their familiarity with the turf.

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READERS COMMENTS

Mark out a strategy to take PITRIOPA out of the game, defend him outside the box, pressure him out of the box.

Take care of OUTARRA, their only creative winger.

In midfield the dangerman is Kabore, we need to close the spaces available to him when he has the ball. we must control the midfield and create chances for Gyan. BURKINA FASO HAS A VERY OPEN DEFENCE compared to cape verde. All our strikers need to do is take their chances because there will be many if we play well. GH BLACKSTARS NOOO SIZE

CHAMZ ON GHSOCCERNET SAYS.. History is repeating itself. Last year, Ghana traveled to Bata, where Zambia was based for group stages and lost. This year Ghana goes to Nelspruit where Bfaso has played four games. Plus, the dodgy pitch, I am sorry Ghana will be beaten. Reply to this Comment GH FUO, THINK BIG!!! sayS… CHAMZ DID GH LOSE BCOS OF THE PITCH IN BATA? INFACT, I REMEMBER VERY VIVDLY THAT GH PLAYED THEIR BEST GAME IN BATA AGAINST ZAMBIA. THE LESSON GH HAS LEANT IS THIS. BEAUTIFUL, CHAMPAGNE FLOWING SOCCER DOSENT NECESSARILY WIN YOU GAMES. BURKINA MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THAT SORRY ASS PITCH. HOWEVER, IF GH STARTS THEIR LOCAL/CONTINENTAL BASED PLAYERS…LIKE ASANTE, CLOTTEY, KISSI, AWAL WHO PLAYS IN S AFRICA. GH WILL HAVE AN EDGE. GH HAS BY FAR THE BEST PLAYERS. THE BURKINABES WILL BE PLAYING THE COUNTER BCOS THEY HAVE NO STRIKING FIRPOWER. IF GH NEUTRALIZES PITRIOPA, DAGANO N KABORE. THE GAME WILL BE OVER IN THE FIRST HALF. WATCH GH VS NIGER N U WILL SEE….

gh 3 vs burkina 0 GYAN, OMOTUO TUO ZAAFI STRIKER! someone tell gyan that TO BE AN EFFECTIVE STRIKER. HE MUST HAVE HIS BACK TURNED TO THE GOALIE. GYAN NEVER TURNS HIS BACK TO THE GOALIE. INSTEAD, HE RUNS SIDEWAYS TO THE LEFT/RIGHT…..NO WONDER HE CONTINUES TO BE LESS EFFECTIVE THUS FAR IN THIS TOURNAMNT. GYAN HAVE UR BACK TURNED TO THE GOALIE. THAT WAY WHEN U GET THE BALL, THE GOALIE CANT SEE WAT U INTEND TO DO WITH IT. burkina will play the counter, just like cape verde THEREFORE, WE NEED FULLBACKS WHO CAN RUN. PAINSTIL SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A STARTER AKAMINKO MUST BE USED AT THE 2. AFFUL/KISSI AT THE 3 PLS, DONT USE BOYE AS A STARTER IN THIS GAME. USE EITHER JONATHAN/AWAL. OUR DEFENDERS MUST MAKE SURE THAT GOALIE DAUDA GOES ON VACATION IN THIS SEMI FINAL. DAUDA MUST GO ON VACATION IN HAWAII IN THIS SEMI FINAL GAME. WE WANT TO SEE HIM SLEEPING IN THE NET. BCOS HE IS TIRED! WE WILL NEED TO PRESSURE THE BURKINABES INCESSANTLY. PRESSURE THEM FROM THE WINGS. KASA AT 11, ASANTE/ATSU AT 7 AND HAVE THEM OVERLAP. PLS, DONT START GYAN. ALLOW CLOTTEY OR YIADOM TO PLAY. CLOTTEY CAN USE HIS QUICKNESS, YIADOM HIS HEIGHT. WE HVE TO PRESSURE THE BURKINABES TO THEM MAKE MISTAKES IN THE 18. OUR PLAYERS MUST PLAY BREAK N PASS BALL. CONTROL THE FLOW OF THE GAME. MOVE THE BALL ALONG THE WINGS N TRU THE MIDDLE. FYI: NEUTRALISE PITRIOPIA N THE BURKINA CAPTAIN. AA, USE THIS GAME TO PRESSURE THE BURKINABES. OUR WINGERS, MIDFIELDERS N STRIKERS MUST INVADE AT WILL. THE MORE GOALS WE GET, THE MORE CONFIDENT OUR PLAYERS WILL BE GOING INTO THE FINAL. AA MUST STRIVE FOR PERFECTION!. STRIVE FOR PERFECTION! STRIKERS/attackers win you a match, DEFENDERS win you a tournament! AA, NEUTRALIZE THESE BURKINA PLAYERS AND YOU WILL WIN…Jonathan Pitriopa, Charles Kabore, Moumouni Dagano FYI: aa should START the continental AND LOCAL BASED PLAYERS IN THIS GAME. ASANTE, KISSIS, AFFUL, CLOTTEY, AWAL….MUST ALL START IN THIS GAME. THEY CAN COMPETE BOOT FOR BOOT WITH THE BUGA BUGA PITCH AND THE BURKINA PLAYERS. IM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YIADOM IN THIS GAME. HIS HEIGHT, SPEED AND SKILL WILL BE WORRYSOME FOR THE BURKINA DEFENDERS…

WE HVE TO PRESSURE THE BURKINABES TO THEM MAKE MISTAKES IN THE 18. OUR PLAYERS MUST PLAY BREAK N PASS BALL. CONTROL THE FLOW OF THE GAME. MOVE THE BALL ALONG THE WINGS N TRU THE MIDDLE. FYI: NEUTRALISE PITRIOPIA N THE BURKINA CAPTAIN. AA, USE THIS GAME TO PRESSURE THE BURKINABES. OUR WINGERS, MIDFIELDERS N STRIKERS MUST INVADE AT WILL. THE MORE GOALS WE GET, THE MORE CONFIDENT OUR PLAYERS WILL BE GOING INTO THE FINAL. AA MUST STRIVE FOR PERFECTION!. STRIVE FOR PERFECTION! STRIKERS/attackers win you a match, DEFENDERS win you a tournament! AA, NEUTRALIZE THESE BURKINA PLAYERS AND YOU WILL WIN…Jonathan Pitriopa, Charles Kabore, Moumouni Dagano FYI: aa should START the continental AND LOCAL BASED PLAYERS IN THIS GAME. ASANTE, KISSIS, AFFUL, CLOTTEY, AWAL….MUST ALL START IN THIS GAME. THEY CAN COMPETE BOOT FOR BOOT WITH THE BUGA BUGA PITCH AND THE BURKINA PLAYERS. IM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YIADOM IN THIS GAME. HIS HEIGHT, SPEED AND SKILL WILL BE WORRYSOME FOR THE BURKINA DEFENDERS… starting line up dauda,akaminko, jonathan, awal, kissi annan, asante, badu, yiadom, clottey, kwadwo asamoah

@PITO and Master: You guys are right on the spot! It will be a very tough game! B.S players should fight for every ball, cover all spaces in their mid-field and defense, and never loose concentration not even for once. They should never go to sleep at point in the game, and they must always keep their eye on the ball for the whole 95 or so minutes! MOST IMPORTANTLY, they should void unnecessary tackles that can lead to yellow and red cards, and even dangerous free kicks and PK.

Adomah has to start this game bcos we need his pace.Secondly we have to play the ball on the turf.John Boye & Pitroipa plays the same team so he can handle him easily or give enough info about him.We should maintain our starting XI and make changes as time goes on.

It’s great to read posts like these!!if we had done this from the preparation to the tournament,most of the unecessary pressure we’ve put on the team wouldn’t be there!!we must do our postings in comstructive manners like these!!Thanks to you all,Apio eih Pito,Askantwi(name),Massa K,texas and Dr nobody!!

Ghana went into the final (beyond the semi-final ) in 2010, where they lost 0:1 to an experienced Egypt late in the game. It is not true that the Black Stars have failed to go beyond the semis in the last 3 AFCON editions as stated by the author in the article.

God forgive all those who insulted and called Kwesi Appiah with all sorts of names. Things seem to be ok now so you think you can pretend as if you were soo much in love with this team. Keep the selection to yourself and allow the coach to do his own thing.Ghanaians must learn to be patient a little……Where did the previous coach took us to? was it not semi final? Now the coach you called “mumu” has also taken us to the same stage. Shame on all his haters.

@skilful asante is a good player but he is too small. Burkina faso players are like still and slow. Adomah needs to start. We need the speed and crosses. Hopefully the team click together because last game against cape verde they all look lost.

Some thoughts on the upcoming match. First of all, forgive my ignorance on certain matters, i’m not a football expert and i don’t claim to know everything about these two teams, especially the Burkinabe one. For me, the momentum clearly points towards Burkina Faso. They deservedly won a very tough group. In fact, out of the 4 teams, they were the ones to better adjust to this sandy turf that is supposedly called football pitch. And the reason why is that they dispose of a well balanced team, in terms of individual atributes. Almost all their players are bestowed with technical qualities, mixed with sheer power and size. And ever since their first match, they feel at home over there. And i think that they’ll also enjoy the support of the majority of the local fans. Other than that, this is a team that opts for an attacking style, especially from the flanks. That is not neccessarily a bad thing for Ghana, cos Ghana’s side backs, more defensively oriented, can assist the center halves. But Ghana needs imperatively to built a strong midfield. The team needs three men on the axis. I know that some boys showed signs of fatigue during the last matches, so Appiah must bring in Annan. I don’t know how his recovery is proceeding, it was quite obvious to those who watched that friendly against Egypt that this was not a light injury. Let’s hope that he is at least 85% fit and has joined the latest training sessions. In any case, Ghana needs fresh legs in that area, cos the Burkinabe have the tendency to stretch their game on the width of the pitch. So, you have to assist both the axis and side defenders. In front of the three men, you need players with stamina and physical strength to also watch out for the side backs. For me, there is no other option, than Wakaso and Adomah. The problem with this BS squad is that it doesn’t have any plan B on its tactics’ deployment. And this has to do merely with two factors. The team itself hasn’t got technically versatile players at the exception of Atsu. But Atsu isn’t yet a player, tactically mature. Yes, he can hold the ball, he can dribble but lacks the lucidity to read the game in terms of positioning while defending. And he is not good at man marking. But, there is something else, much more important. I think that the coach knows that there is practically no team in the world, that can win tournaments like this, by having the possesion of the ball. Ok, there is just one. Spain! And that’s about it. Spain is the exception, not the rule. The coach knows, that all the teams that triumphed in the recent tournaments(the three Egypt editions and Zambia), have all based their strategy on a fast transition game. When Ghana was left with no option in the Cape Verde match but to take possession, they haven’t created a single chance! They were dangerous for only the first 20 minutes. That is the time that Gyan can last in a match these days(speaking of stamina). After that and with Atsu completely lost, Ghana wasn’t revealed as much of a threat. They got lucky but will luck always be in their favor? Especially on this bubbly pitch, on which they are going to face Burkina Faso? This one is going to be a strange match. I wouldn’t trust Vorsah cos the man is a constant danger with the ball on his feet. Especially on this pitch. I was sure that the Malian Diabate was going to expose him, because Diabate, albeit his size, is technically efficient and he was constantly dragging him outside the 18 yard box. The Burkinabe may lack of a Diabate but they are very fast as a whole and you need a man with fast legs on the centre of defense. Especially on this beach volley venue Jonathan perhaps? I don’t know. I’m a bit concerned about Ghana’s tournament. In almost every tournament, the winning side has a late ace hidden on its sleeve. Something unexpected, a new force, difficult to reckon with. We see that this is clearly the case with the Nigerian strikers and a couple of their midfielders. No one can claim that all of them were expecting to shine. No one can claim the same for Wakaso. But will Wakaso alone be able to save the day for Ghana Black Stars, once more? Especially, given the team’s penury on the striker’s position and KASA’s inability to adapt to the challenge and what this challenge brings in? It remains to be seen.

Solomon asante gonna start this match.Adomah aint physical enough.asante must start for sure,he is quick,intelligent n skillful.Adomah has done his best for Ghana,n we really appreciate that.long live black stars!

Good stuff @ Gimli.. Very thorough analysis.. Ghana really sucked the last game and the mid-field was very weak.. In all honesty I wouldn’t say that the coach did anything to make these boys successful by reaching the semis.. Ghana Black Stars are good period.. In fact, they’re playing worst, despite the winning.. Look at how we played in the world cup versus now… I still don’t think Akwesi Appiah is competent enough on the world stage in Brazil.. definitely not with this selection or tactics…

So you and Gimli cannot see anything good about Ghana’s team? Uh? Apart from our earlier mistakes against DRC, how many goals has Ghana conceded? Zero. Is that a sign of a weak team? Cape Verde threw everything against us but couldn’t put a single ball into our net. Ghana is a team to beat. Burkina will prove stubborn but they will fall at the end. Their stars might be tired as we speak, because it’s not easy to play in that field for four consecutive games without going through fatigue. Ghana will carry the day.

@Randy No, i never said that Ghana is a weak team. Nor that Burkina is better. I said that the Burkinabe have built a momentum on this minefield they are playing since the beginning of the tournament. They know every inch of it by now and they are going to enjoy the local support, cos after all these matches over there, there is definetely a bond between them and the South Africans. How the BS will behave on this pitch, remains a mystery. As for the Ghana team itself, i just focused on a couple of issues that for me, seem problematic. It is obvious to me that the two side backs don’t contribute to the attack(especially Paintsil). Actually, the team is built on the purpose to play a fast, transition game, with few players involved in a one touch/pass deployment. We’ve seen who these players are. Gyan, Wakaso, Badu and Adomah or Atsu. KASA seems out of the equation, he is out of the systems. Anyway, so it appears to me. The more i see this man, the more i’m convinced that, either it is a psychological issue, either the footballer can cope with only one system: the 3-5-2 that Juve plays. Maybe i wasn’t too clear on one or two subjects i touched on. I said that this team is molded on the philosophy of the last teams that won the AFCON. These teams were practising a fast transition, from defense to attack, based on short, one/two passes, overlaping and motion on free space by the players who didn’t possess the ball. The Ghana team is formed on this philosophy, without a backup plan, cos that has proven to be the winning recipe. I didn’t judge this decision by the coaching staff. Ghana’s problem is that since the side backs are not creative, thay are running out of options when attacking. Actually, they rely on Gyans’ stamina and his limited ability to cope with the game’s pace for a long time. Watch the last two games. His performance drops after 10 minutes in both halves. Actually, almost all of Ghana’s goals are scored at this period. I said that the team got lucky so far, cos they always scored the first, in each of their games. But if you watch the Cape Verde match, you’ll see that as time was progressing and Gyan’s stamina was dropping, Ghana was running out of options, as how to attack(i’m speaking of the first half). And that is because Cape Verde gave them the ball possession. When you can’t stretch your game on the width of the pitch, because your backs don’t have attacking qualities, what are you going to do? KASA is out of the match and Gyan can cooperate with Atsu for a limited time. From your midfielders, Badu is the creative one, but suddenly you are left with only two of them, trying to annihilate the overloaded Cape Verdian midfield. Rabiu was not only nervous after he got booked. He was also tired and the proff for that were all these late tackles he couldn’t avoid. Ghana will face on this sandy turf of the new stadium they are now playing, the same problem that Zambia faced. For me, there are a lot of similarities between the 2013 Ghana and Zambia, as we know it since last year. Fast transition, one touch ball, movement in space. The problem with Zambia was that all of their frontline was out of form and the absence of a man to pass the ball(Kalaba was transparent) made it even worse. Ghana has the same problem in the position behind the striker, cos KASA seems inadequate(so far). And, in the absence of a game from the flanks, you are running out of options. Ghana seems to perform well, only on counter attack, since their wingers move well and fast in free space, taking advantage of Gyan’s movement in front of the center halves. Badu also assists as a box to box midfielder. But Badu is now too tired and in a formation of two central midfielders, he risks to leave the back exposed when moving forward. And if the opponent has a big concentration of players on the axis, you’ll face all sort of problems as the ones we saw against Cape Verde. Burkina Faso will also give you the bait of possession. In this case and since you don’t have a game from the flanks and your wingers perform better on the counter, you need at least, to build a strong midfield. You put Rabiu as a number 6, a sweeper in front of the center halves and on his sides, Annan and Badu. In front, you have the strong paced Wakaso and Adomah, with instructions to converge towards the axis, while defending. You are not too creative but at least you don’t rely in luck, in order not to concede as it happened in the previous match. And you just wait. You wait for the time to pass and the players get used to the turf. And at a certain point, you bring in an ace from the sleeve, to change momentum. I’m sure that as the time progresses, the Burkinabe will attack and leave spaces. In that moment, you’ll need a man to flurry their defensive balance, a good ball handler, with dribbling abilities. You bring in Atsu and a second striker cos i find it inconceivable that you’re trying to finish a tournament with the same man up in front. Maybe there are not too many options. But this doesn’t render Ghana as a weak team. We are far from that and the fact that the Black Stars have reached the semis for the fourth consecutive time in AFCON, is a huge achievement, by all means!

but.. but.. but I thought Ghana was at the finals in Angola 2010??? so how come they are trying to break a jinx of not getting past the semi finals in the last three editions of the tournament? Are we talking about the same tournament here??

i pray Ghana wins dis game!But to be frank K.Appiah shud prove to us dat he can coach de national team to a more competitive football becos our possesive football has being spoilt by de coach.we don’t carr abt only win but gud football.

The write-up contains factual inaccuracies e.g. “Ghana will be hoping to break the jinx this time around after failing to cross the semi-final mark in the last three editions of AFCON.” True, in 2008 Ghana lost to Cameroon in the semis. Come 2010 Ghana was in the finals with Egypt and then in 2012 lost to Zambia in the semis. Where is the jinx to be broken?